Last for boots or shoes.



No. 721 192; F-PATENTBD MAY 26,1903. A. LEWIS.

LAST FOR BOOTS 0R SHOES.

AI PLIOATION FILED APR. 10, 1901- I0 MODEL,

w: NORRIS PETERS 0a., Pnm'oumo" v/Asnwmou. u. c,

U NITED STAT S Patented May 26,1903.

ALFRED LEWIS, OF KETTERING, ENGLAND.

LAST FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,192, dated May 26, 1903.

Application filed April 10,1901. Serial No. 55,166. (No model.)

f all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED LEWIS, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Oarrington Foundry, Kettering, in the county of Northampton, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lasts for Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to what are known as hinged lasts; and the invention consists in the means for so securing the parts of the last as to provide what is termed a rigid last.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown at Figures 1 and 2 in side view and plan view one way of carrying out my invention.

This invention particularly refers to wood lasts, a hinged last being such a last formed in two parts that is to say, a fore part and a heel part-which parts are secured together at the lower part by means of a hinge or other pivotal connection; but the invention will apply equally to hinged lasts made of metal or other material. The heel part is provided with a post-hole to receive the post in the usual manner.

The object of a hinged last is to facilitate the exit of the last from the boot 0r shoe by shortening the last to such an extent as to allow it to come out readily without straining the boot or shoe. 7

When lasting the upper, a great strain is put upon the last, as considerable force is used to draw the upper around the last, and unless the last when in two parts,as described, is whatis termed rigid there isa tendency for the last to collapse or shorten during the operation of making the boot or shoe, thus causing great inconvenience. It is therefore absolutely necessary that anymeans provided to fix the parts in position should insure this rigidity of the last.

Nowit is the object of thisinvention to provide a last of the character indicated.

It will be obvious that any means employed to eflect the purpose of my invention must be placed at a point above the hinge between the two parts of the last and must also provide for a direct endwise thrust. The means employed must also be of simple construction, as the price of the lasts must necessarily be low, and therefore a complex device is quite out of the question.

Referring now to the drawings, a is the fore part of the last, and b is the heel part, which are hinged together as indicated by the dotted lines in the figures or in any convenient manner. The fore part is provided with recesses to receive projecting parts of the heel part when unlocked and collapsed and is also provided above the hinge with a rearwardlyprojecting surface 0 to take the thrust, as will be presently explained. Mounted on the heel part is a vertically-sliding block or looking device d, which may be arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Referring, then, to Figs. 1 and 2, a plate 6, having upon it a dovetail projectionf, is secured upon the front of the heel part bin such a way that a nose (1, formed on the front of the block d, Will come against the projecting surface a of the fore part when in its normal position. The block is formed with a dovetail recess or groove which ongages with the projection f on the plate 6. The said plate constitutes a surface on the front of the heel part b above the hinge against which the block slides, while it slides also against the surface 0, provided on the fore part a. The projection f is recessed or notched to receive a spring, (shown in dotted lines,) one end of which bears against the end of the recess, the other end acting against a stop on the under side of the block, which stop projects into the recess or notch. The movement of the block is regulated in either direction by stops 9 g, fitted to the plate 6. The movement of the block when required to unlock may be effected by a hook h, as shown on the drawings, to be inserted in the eye of the block d or by a piece of string or cord secured to the eye of the block at. As will be seen, the sliding block being placed above the hinge provides for the direct endwise thrust already referred to, andthus the rigid last so much desired is produced in a simple and efficient manner.

The unlocked position of the heel part is shown in Fig. l in dotted lines. V

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A hinged last for boots and shoes comprising a fore part having a rearward-projecting surface, a heel part hinged to the fore part ICO and means for locking the last in its extended position comprising a plate carried by the heel part, a block having a dovetailed sliding engagement with the plate, said block being provided with anose arranged to engage the rearward-projecting surface of the fore part when the last is in its extended position and the block is at the limit of its downward .movement and a spring for normally holding the block at the limit of its downward move- Io ment.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of the twoflsnbscribing witnesses.

f 1 ALFRED LEWIS. Witnesses:

H.;E. NEWTEN, L. U. REDDIE. 

